How to fix UTF-8 issues in csv-files

This is one simple life hack for anyone who works with .csv files and excel. It can be tricky to fix encoding issues, especially with german characters (ö, ä ü). This quick tutorial shows you exactly how you can resolve this problem. The solution is a simple, but effective work around.

We first encountered this problem when exporting a product feed from one of our customers magento backend. Although the file did not seem to be corrupt and it worked in Notepad++, it did not seem to work well in Excel. The encoding issue made it impossible for us to use the product feed (see below).

Background information: What is a product feed?

A Product feed is essentially a list of products in your shop. This list usually comes in the form of a .csv-file or .xml-file. Either one of the two can be used for up,- and downloading product information in bulk. Many affiliate marketing publishers work with product feeds (such as Google Shopping, Amazon, or Awin).

If you have any further questions about this life hack, or need some help with your own data-issues: feel free to reach out to us by using the contact form.

My name is Remco Livain (born and raised in the Netherlands), founder and CEO of the Zürich-based Digital Consulting and Venture Builder, GANDT Ventures. I have over a decade of founding- and c-level management experience in omni-channel retail, dating and fashion. My personal strength and interests are in performance marketing and blockchain technology (mentor for nexussquared blockchain accelerator program).